111 Places in Milwaukee

4 Seasons Skatepark

Drop in for a good ride and family vibes

“We definitely have wow-factor,” says Neal Levin, owner of 4 Seasons, a 22,000-square-foot indoor skatepark, which happens to be Wis consin’s largest. “The fact that we have so much natural light and the high ceilings – anybody who comes in here is just in awe of the building, and surprised by the use of it.” That’s because this aestheti cally pleasing skatepark, tucked into a secluded former industrial area beside the Menomonee River, is housed in the circa-1902 Milwaukee Gas Light Company campus, a cluster of historic red brick buildings designed by famed local architect Alexander Eschweiler.

4 Seasons opened in 1999, making it an old-timer among indoor parks – Levin surmises it’s among the country’s top five oldest. Through the years, it’s attracted plenty of names, like Tony Hawk and Matt Hoffman. Levin says, “We’re kind of one of those stops, a bucket list-type thing. We’ve been around for so long and people see the park in videos and magazines, so if they’re traveling, they’ll stop to get a session in.”

Levin attributes the park’s longevity to the fact that they welcome riders of all kinds – skateboard, BMX, scooter, and roller skate, both inline and quad – and, even more importantly, that they create a true family-like atmosphere. “It’s why people choose to come here. Parents feel comfortable dropping off, and we have a huge group of girls now. There’s a big girls’ skateboard movement, and we also have the derby girls who roller skate, which is super cool,” he says. Levin estimates that female participation is up 500%.

The park rents gear, offers lessons and a pro shop, and hosts events like the Ladies Session (girls’ skate club) and monthly Lock-Ins to further make the riding experience accessible and intimidation-free. The warm welcome is extended even to those who are less daring and prefer just to watch. Levin says, “Spectating is free. People are free to come through to see what it’s all about.”

Address 200 North 25th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233, +1 (414)933-7275, www.4seasonssk8park.com, seasonssk8park@yahoo.com | Getting there Bus 30 to Wisconsin Avenue & North 25th Street | Hours See website for hours and events | Tip For further wheeled-sport spectator opportunities, check out Milwaukee’s roller derby, the Brewcity Bruisers, and their junior counterparts, the Micro Bruisers (various locations, www.brewcitybruisers.com).

5XEN Market

A Hmong destination

5XEN Market is truly hidden in plain sight, along a stretch of 76th Street, amid nondescript cement block structures. It’s two buildings, one a former auto garage strung with ad banners for other things, but none of its own signage, and the other a chunky office building. Drive between the two buildings, park in the back and look for someone to follow because the entrances are not that apparent.

To set foot inside is to feel like you’ve instantly crossed several time zones. The owners set out to create a market like the ones they knew in Laos, and they seem to have succeeded. 5XEN Market, con sidered a one-stop Hmong shopping center, sells a mix of Laotian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese goods and foods, reflecting elements of many cultures adopted by the Hmong in their migration.

The original building is filled with produce, much of it grown by local Hmong farmers, and packaged foods, including giant rolls of cinnamon, palm sugar blocks, loads of Southeast Asian snack foods, and an entire freezer case devoted to meatballs. There are home goods, cookware, and a convenience store area selling more snacks and fun things like mini backpacks filled with ‘jelly bars.’ The café, a destina tion for many, is known for its tasty pho, stuffed chicken wings, and pork belly.

Per the 2010 census, Wisconsin has the third-largest Hmong population in America. Demand for Hmong goods and services dictated that the market expand into a second building with a huge community room, food court, and about 90 flea market-esque stalls separated by roll-down doors. They sell Southeast Asian products –traditional clothing, toys, DVDs, health and beauty supplies, and medicinal plants – many items found nowhere else in Wiscon sin. While creating jobs and a community hub, 5XEN Market also serves to introduce the greater city to the rich culture of the Mil waukee Hmong.

Address 6300 North 76th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53218, +1 (414) 466-9100, www.5xenmarket.com, info@5xenmarket.com | Getting there Bus BLU to 76th Street & Mill Road | Hours Daily 8am 6pm | Tip Another unexpected treat in these parts is Havenwoods State Forest. This swamp, turned farmland, turned prison, turned Ajax missile base, turned Army training camp, turned natural sanctuary, opened to the public in 1980 as the only urban state forest in Wisconsin (6141 North Hopkins Street, Milwaukee, WI 53209, www.dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/havenwoods).

AGSL’s Rare Mappamundi

Fall off the map in a cartographer’s dream library

How did one of the largest, most important geographical libraries in North America, established in New York City in 1851, come to be on a secluded third floor at the University of Wisconsin at Mil waukee? “It took 16 moving vans,” laughs Jovanka Ristic, the Sen ior Academic Librarian. However, the collection’s crown jewel, the Mappamundi from year 1452, traveled by plane. “That flew first class, with its own ticket.”

By the late 1970s, the American Geographical Society Library (AGSL), which was established by 31 prominent New Yorkers devoted to the pursuit of geographical knowledge, found itself out of funds. The university made a bid and won, so the vast collection of cartographic materials (now 1.3 million items) moved west.

The library’s entryway contains the oldest (from 1613) and largest (50 inch diameter) of the 205-piece globe collection, with the rest perched on cabinets across the room. If you care to see a particular map, the staff will pull and place it on a viewing table under Plexiglas for you. Otherwise, you can peruse the spectacular array of atlases and books amid other visitors, who might include scholars, authors, ancestry researchers, and Cub Scouts looking for maps of Atlantis or the Star Wars universe.

Don’t miss the Rare Materials Room, which contains 1927 flight plans drawn by Charles Lindbergh, Captain James Cook’s hand written charts of 1770s’ Australia, and a 1578 book and map by the game-changing Gerhard Mercator, originator of the Mercator pro jection. And then there’s that hand-painted velum Mappamundi by Giovanni Leardo, in the best condition of the surviving three, and the only one in the western hemisphere. This extraordinary piece recalls a medieval time when the world was three continents surrounded by a ring of ocean, sea monsters ruled the waters, and Milwaukee was not yet a twinkle in a cartographer’s eye.

Address UWM Golda Meir Library, 2311 East Hartford Avenue, 3rd Floor, East Wing, Milwaukee, WI 53211, +1 (414)229-6282, www.uwm.edu/libraries/agsl, agsl@uwm.edu |

Getting there Minimal visitor parking on campus | Hours Library Mon Fri 8am 4:30pm; Rare Materials Room by appointment only | Tip Find something you just must have? Avoid the penalties of library theft by visiting the Digital Data Department (within the library), which will scan and print any map for you at the modest price of $2.50 per square foot.

Al Capone’s Rural Hideout

A public enemy’s Brookfield retreat

With an address like Capone Court and located in The Hideaway subdivision of Brookfield, it’s hardly a place where Big Al could lay low these days. But local lore has it that the well-known gangster kept this house as a safe haven and bootlegging operation along his path between Chicago and northern Wisconsin. The 1929 house stands out on the cul-de-sac for more than just its age. It has a dis tinct look due to its solid brick construction, all the better to with stand machine gun fire.

Before the property was subdivided in 1994, the road now known as Capone Court served as the driveway. According to local historian Stephen Hauser, “Capone kept a flock of Canada geese well-fed so they wouldn’t migrate. If anyone turned down that long driveway, the geese would honk to let him know.” A former homeowner has attested to a lookout/gun port in the turret above the front door which is now covered in shingles. And then there is the matter of the legendary tunnel, which ran from the home to a detached drivethrough-style garage, allowing Capone to get a jump on any Feds. No evidence of the tunnel has been found, but Hauser says, “It wouldn’t surprise me. I remember the garage – it was still there in the 80s. A tunnel wouldn’t have been hard to build.” Hauser also knew people who lived in nearby farmhouses who recalled the day in 1932 when Capone’s still was destroyed by the Prohibition Bureau.

Of course, there is no deed to prove that Capone lived here. Records from that time are slim, and besides that, mob bosses tended to not leave paper trails. But his presence in the area was well known. Capone frequented Pick’s Club Madrid on Bluemound Road. He also had ties to Mound Kennel Club, a nearby dog track where a Fuddruckers now stands, as well as Waukesha’s Fox Head Brewery, which somehow continuously supplied his Chicago operations with beer, despite Prohibition.

Address 18680 Capone Court, Brookfield, WI 53045 | Getting there Bus 1 to Bluemound Road at Woodland Health Center | Hours Unrestricted from the outside only | Tip See the Lannon stone gates of Pick’s Club Madrid, the only remnants of this infamous nightclub, speakeasy, and gambling den. In addition to Capone, Spencer Tracy reportedly drank here, Oscar-winning actress Hattie McDonald (Gone With The Wind) sang here, and Liberace tickled the ivories here as a teen. The remaining gates now provide a grand entrance to an ordinary parking lot (12600 West Bluemound Road).

Alice’s Garden

Finding the culture in agriculture

“There are many great community gardens in Milwaukee, but you won’t find Fieldhands & Foodways anywhere else,” says Venice Williams, of the program she developed at Alice’s Garden. This part of the urban farm, which was created on empty land from an aban doned freeway project, is dedicated to Milwaukee’s African-Amer ican and Native American roots and designed to connect visitors to the important history of the area. “The land we’re on was part of Sam uel Brown’s farm. As he and others took in a young freedom-seeker named Caroline Quarlls, Wisconsin’s Underground Railroad was born,” says Williams. Unlike most, Quarlls’ story was documented and thus retold. Alice’s Farm even routinely hosts Quarlls’ third great-granddaughter from Detroit to share her family’s history.

Fieldhands & Foodways is planted to reflect the time from preslavery through sharecropping. The Master’s Kitchen Garden is a historical plot containing what an enslaved person might have been responsible for cultivating. Other sections are devoted to culinary and herbal education, and there is always an artist-in-residence, such as a potter making clay utensils that would have been used on a plan tation, or a quilter working with visitors to make quilt squares. There are scheduled demonstrations throughout the growing season, and visitors are invited to wander, using the garden’s detailed signage as their guide.

Another garden highlight is the living labyrinth, constructed of stones, fragrant herbs, and other plants. Spiritual caretaker Cheri Johnson leads meditative walks, during which folks from all over the city – all ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds – turn up to contemplate ideas like ‘sustainability’ and ‘global landscape’.

“People have bought into the idea that this is one of the most seg regated cities in the country,” says Williams. “Well, we want to invite people to come and see it at its best.”

Address 2136 North 21st Street, Milwaukee, WI 53205, +1 (414)687-0122, www.alicesgardenmke.com | Hours Daily Apr Sep; Labyrinth Walks Wed 6 8pm; check website for events schedule and off-season hours | Tip Alice’s Garden grows up to 60 herbs each season, which are used in their cooking spices, teas, and herbal body products sold each Saturday at Fondy Farmers Market, May–November (2200 West Fond Du Lac Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53206, www.fondymke.org).

Allen-Bradley Clock

Once in a ‘Polish moon’

One of the coolest things about planet Milwaukee is that it has its own moon. It’s four-sided rather than spherical, but it burns bright in the southern night sky, a beacon for boats on nearby Lake Michi gan – as well as droves of drunk people limping home from the bars. It began its orbit on Halloween night of 1962 and has since been given fond nicknames, such as ‘Polish Moon’ or ‘Mexican Moon,’ as the neighborhood has shifted in ethnic makeup.

This moon is, of course, the Allen-Bradley (now Rockwell Auto mation) Clock. It happens to be the largest four-sided clock in the Western Hemisphere, boasting faces a whopping 40 feet, three and a half inches in diameter, built by the company’s own engineers. Until 2010, it held the Guinness World Record for being the largest of its kind. Reportedly it never had a chime, thus respectfully removing itself from a category that would have stolen the thunder from Lon don’s (much smaller) Big Ben.

The Compression Rheostat Company opened in 1903. Perhaps sensing a certain lack of je ne sais quoi in that name, founders Dr. Stanton Allen and Lynde Bradley went eponymous in 1910. The company went on to become massively successful, supplying ground breaking electronic components to hot new industries such as radio and television. Harry Bradley, who stepped in when his brother died in 1942, was the clock man. Whether his intentions were to be help ful or Big Brother-esque, he supposedly set out to build a clock that his employees could read from their homes. Meanwhile, Harry and his wife Peg had a penthouse apartment at the top of the factory, overlooking the neighborhood below.

It’s a kind of forgotten thing, but there was actually a different, smaller, less illuminated clock built for Allen-Bradley in 1950. It still stands atop the plant, but it was converted into a temperature gauge to make way for the beloved ‘moon’.

Address 1201 South 2nd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204, +1 (414)382-2000 | Getting there Bus BLU to South 2nd Street & National Avenue | Hours Unrestricted | Tip Begin or end your trip to the ‘moon’ with refreshment from Bryant’s, Milwaukee’s oldest cocktail lounge, since 1938. This velvety-wallpapered, lowly-lit den is purveyor of many fanciful concoctions and originator of the famed Midwestern ice cream drink called the Pink Squirrel (1579 South 9th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204, www.bryantscocktaillounge.com).

The Annunciation Church

It’s all ball bearings nowadays

The eye-catching Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, which resembles a grounded flying saucer, isn’t instantly recognizable as the work of famed Wisconsin architect Frank Lloyd Wright. One of his final projects, completed in 1961 after his death, this edifice combines Byzantine architectural elements with Wright’s modern sensibilities. Influenced by the marvelous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and by his third wife, who was of the Greek Orthodox faith, Wright embraced the forms and symbols of the historic architecture and religion to create this wholly original masterpiece for the Annunci ation congregation.

The structure is a true feat of engineering. The 106-foot diameter dome floats on thousands of ball bearings in a rail, an extremely inno vative solution to keep the dome shell stable as materials expand and contract during Wisconsin’s extreme weather changes. Meanwhile, 345 glass spheres positioned directly beneath the dome allow natural light to pour inside.

The interior is at the same time intimate and awe-inspiring. There’s seating for 700 congregants, and yet, due to the circular, multi-level arrangement, each spot feels close to the sanctuary. Gazing down ward from the upper level reveals the Greek cross-shaped floor plan; looking upward creates the sensation of floating. All three levels are accessed by stairways that spiral around sculptural posts ringed with clusters of lights. Ocean blue upholstered seating and golden carpet complete the bold yet serene palette.

This site is on the National Register of Historic Places site and is still an active church. In fact, unless you are in a group of 15 or more, attending Sunday Divine Liturgy is the only way to visit. The services are welcoming and offer time to contemplate this mesmerizing space where, in fact, strongman Joseph Stalin’s granddaughter, who was the daughter of a Wright protégé, was christened in 1971.

Address 9400 West Congress Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53225, +1 (414)461-9400, www.annunciationwi.org,

| Getting there Bus 23 to North 92nd Street & Grantosa Drive | Hours See website for Divine Liturgy and group tour information | Tip Visit the Johnson Wax Headquarters, another Wright masterstroke, about 30 miles south. Tour the compound, which includes the Research Tower and Administration Building, where Wright employed striking dendriform columns he dubbed ‘lily pads’ (www.scjohnson.com/en/a-family-company/architecture-and-tours).

The Appomattox Shipwreck

Lake Michigan’s maritime capsule

“There’s basically a forest of oak down there,” says maritime archeolo gist Tamara Thomsen. She’s referring to the wreckage of the Appomat tox, the largest wooden bulk freighter ever to cruise the Great Lakes (possibly the largest in the world), which has rested on Lake Michi gan’s floor for over 100 years. Designed by master shipbuilder James Davidson in 1896, it was a bit of an anomaly during its time, when steel ships were already in use. A wooden ship of its size, 319 feet, was an engineering feat. It was also a rarity in terms of resources, as by this time, old-growth forests were dwindling. But Davidson had the sense to pre-purchase stands of trees for his shipbuilding. A wooden ship like the Appomattox, which towed a schooner barge, could transport loads of coal and iron ore across the lake cheaper –and more profitably – than its steel competitors.

As one of the most interesting wrecks off the shores of Milwau kee, the Appomattox draws archeologists and engineers. The cold, fresh water has left it exceptionally well preserved, and the way that the ship broke makes it easy to study its construction. Iron-lined oak keelsons, a signature innovation in Davidson vessels, are part of what Thomsen calls “a couple of football fields of shipwreck.” She says, “The National Register of Historic Places has even done a few boundary expansions as more pieces of the hull were discovered. There’s just wreckage everywhere.”

The Appomattox is located right off Atwater Beach in Shorewood, in only about 20 feet of water. On sunny days with still waters, the wreck is visible from the surface. The spot is a divers’ paradise. Explor ers can also paddle out to the site and look down to imagine the fate ful day in 1905 when the Appomattox, caught in ‘industrial fog’, ran aground and sank to its permanent home on Lake Michigan’s floor.

Address Lake Michigan: 43° 05.520’ N 087° 52.177’ W, access via Atwater Park, North Lake Drive, Shorewood, WI 53211, www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/vessel/Details/31 |

Getting there Bus RED to Downer Avenue & East Capitol Drive | Hours Unrestricted | Tip If you prefer to enjoy this area from terra firma, nearby Shorewood Nature Preserve is a little-known lakeside park with wooded trails, interesting wildflowers, fantastical fungi, and what is said to be the remains of an outdoor church (3950 North Lake Drive, Shorewood, WI 53211, www.villageofshorewood.org).

Art Smart’s Dart Mart

For those who heart darts and farts

Who is Art Smart? That question might be on any person’s mind as he or she enters this outlandish emporium that has occupied a promi nent Brady Street corner since 1985. When asked, owner Jim Boland, a man-of-few-words kind of guy, enigmatically points upward. Could he be referring to the heavens? Is Art dead? Or, is Art… God? “No, the ceiling,” says Boland. Sure enough, there’s a whimsically rendered Kilroy-like character painted above, peeking down upon customers below. Apparently this is Art.

When asked to identify his most unusual offering, Boland sur veys the room, scanning over serious dart and disc golf supplies, past loads of incense, a selection of gag gifts and curiosities includ ing emergency underpants, bacon-flavored mints, Australian Shep herd-shaped windsocks, and three distinct varieties of fake turds, and fixes on something glinting in the corner. “Those,” he says, pointing to a set of juggling knives that, honestly, seem to be some of the most normal things in the place. Like that response, this shop is a little hard to wrap your head around but fascinating perhaps for that very reason.

Once in a while, there’s a fantastic guy named Chuck tending shop, who offers running commentary as customers peruse the wares. “It’s like Beverly Hills in here!” says Chuck as you pick up the Public Toilet Survival Kit. “Better than the Apple Store!” he blurts, as you inspect a foil hat designed for a cat. “I was sleeping during highpressure sales school,” he shrugs when you pass on the banana slug finger puppet he shows you. Chuck implies that he just got out of prison, which could be true, though its probably comic effect. Art may be smart, but Chuck’s got the dry humor covered. With a twinkle in his eye, he throws in a free mini mini-hand that fits on the finger of the mini-hand you just bought. “Now that’s customer service!” he exclaims with a crooked smile.

Address 1695 Humbolt Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, +1 (414)273-3278, www.jugglingsupplies.net

Getting there Bus 30 to Ogden Avenue & Astor Street | Hours Mon Fri 10am 6pm, Sat 9am 5pm, Sun 11am 5pm | Tip Had your fill of fart sounds and incense tang? Reset your palate across the street at Sciortino’s Bakery since 1947 (1101 East Brady Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202, www.petersciortinosbakery.com). Try a handful of the traditional sesame cookies and a loaf of freshly baked bread.

Basilica of St. Josaphat

An early green building known for its gold

Basilica status is quite important within the Catholic Church, so when a poor Polish community pulled it together to build this spec tacular church, the third basilica in America and modeled after St. Peter’s in Rome, it was a validation of their place in both this city and the world.

The parishioners broke ground in 1896 and literally erected the place themselves. Most were laborers who worked on the basilica in their spare time. Legend has it that the ladies even helped by haul ing dirt away in their skirts. The budget was tight, and contributions got personal: people mortgaged their homes to cover the debt and even gave their jewelry, which was melted down to make the gold leaf decorating the interior. Recounting that widows like her greatgrandma were asked to donate their wedding rings, parishioner Karri Fritz-Klaus says, “When I’m in the church, I look up at the gold and feel connected to her.”

Necessary thriftiness made this an early example of reduce-re use-recycling when the parish caught wind of a federal building being razed in Chicago and purchased the wreckage. Architect Erhard Brielmaier had already drawn up plans, but he did the remarkable task of retooling them to accommodate the upcycled materials with minimal compromise to the original design. Evidence of the Chicago building can be seen in details like the doorknobs, which bear the US Post Office seal, and exterior columns that are bedecked with a pair of soaring eagles.

This dazzling basilica, the largest church in the city, with seating for 1,200, is also home to one of the finest collections of relics in the state. Peer into the Reliquary to see 422 first-class (physical remains, often bone) and second-class (often clothing) relics, including a piece of the Virgin Mary’s veil, bits of clothing from the Twelve Apostles and Mother Theresa, and pieces of the True Cross.

Address 2333 South 6th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53215, +1 (414)902-3524, www.thebasilicafoundation.org, info@thebasilicafoundation.org | Getting there Bus 80 to South 6th Street & Lincoln Avenue | Hours See website for hours and tour information | Tip Take a short walk to Old Town Serbian Gourmet House for amazing burek and the chance to talk basilica and neighborhood history with locals, including owner Natalia Radicevich and maître d’ Karri Fritz-Klaus (522 West Lincoln Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53207, www.oldtownserbian.com).

Michelle Madden is a screenwriter and jour nalist who has contributed to publications from The New York Times to NYLON. She was the researcher on films Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, and on many TV commercials. Prior to that, she was a chemist, which was unlikely yet formative training for her writing and work as an actor, radio personality, and bear-suit-wearing mascot. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and animals, but was born and raised in Milwaukee. The Cream City’s allure remains unde niable to her. She visits often, which affords a unique vantage point, one that combines the wonder of a tourist with the pride of a local.

Janet McMillan is a professional photographer in Milwaukee, WI. When she isn’t covering local events, you can find her training women to compete in a triathlon, making personal wellness products for her company, Betty Loves Freddie, and being a tourist in her beautiful city. She lives in the historic Washington Heights neighborhood with her two teenage children. And her fa vorite Kopp’s custard flavor is bienenstichkuchen.